Ida O'Keeffe 1924

This is Alfred Stieglitz's photographic portrait of Ida O'Keeffe. Looking at this image, I feel like Stieglitz is playing with the classic genre. He is doing a painting of a painting! With light and shadow, he's got this beautiful flattening effect, like he's pushing her forward, right into our space. I wonder what Ida was thinking at that moment? Was she comfortable under his gaze? As a fellow artist, did she understand his artistic motives, or did she feel objectified? As an artist, these dynamics are always at play when you ask someone to sit for you – even if it's a family member. The pose has an amazing stillness, the light is gorgeous. Painters and photographers, we're all just trying to make sense of the world, one brushstroke or snapshot at a time. And that shared struggle creates a connection, a silent conversation across time and mediums.